Pune Civic Polls 2026: BJP Surges Ahead, Ajit Pawar Faction Faces Setback

• BJP shows a strong lead in early trends for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, securing 13 out of 30 declared results.
• Ajit Pawar's faction faces a significant setback, with only 7 candidates currently leading.
• Prominent BJP candidates like Kunal Tilak, Swarada Bapat, Swapnali Pandit, and Raghavendra Mankar are leading in Kasba.
• Rupali Patil Thombre Patil and Prashant Jagtap (Congress) are reportedly trailing in initial trends.
• The election, held after nine years, is a four-cornered contest with Mahayuti parties contesting separately.

Why It Matters: BJP leads early in Pune civic polls, while Ajit Pawar's faction and key Congress candidates trail.